Friday, February 28, 2014

Hello and welcome to another static episode of Samples Received/Redeemed for the month of February 2014!! For a second there, I thought there won't be enough freebies and samples to show-and-tell since I only got to collect my goodies towards the end of the month. With the exception of the Heroine Make eyeliner which I had to make a trip down to Great World City's Mandom Corp office to redeem, which I ended up giving up and not redeeming it. It's not that the item isn't worth the trip down, it's the fact that it's a hassle to have to find the office lift lobby that leads to Mandom Corp that is putting me off.

I was supposed to go towards the UOB Bank, for for some apparent reason, I just can't seem to find that elusive UOB bank, so that's why I gave up on redeeming my Christmas prize from last year. And I had to agree with the fact that Mandom should have mailed us our prizes instead of making us go all the way to Kim Seng area to redeem 1 item. Unless said single item is worth S$50 and up, if not, they shouldn't even attempt to make prize winners show up for prize redemption. Considering the fact that since they work in Mandom, getting to their own office is easy as pie. But for the rest of us, it's just mind-boggling to try and find the office lift lobby in the first place T_T

Without much further ado, let's take a look at the freebies, samples and goodies I got to lay my hands on for the month of February 2014.

Anyway, I needed some pore strips and hair conditioner and off to Watsons I go.

Sometimes, I just find it hard to have much decent choices when it comes to pore strips. It doesn't matter whether it's Watsons or Guardians, it's the fact that there isn't much choices as compared to 10 years ago when there were scented pore strips. Now, I don't even see a single scented pore strip that are brought in exclusively from Japan. And I'm going to blame it on the K-wave since Japanese are the most likely to come up with innovative beauty products that tugs at your heart-strings and wallet.

Since the decline of the J-wave, we've been seeing more and more of K-based products, which sometimes doesn't make me want to buy because of the straight-laced packaging. I simply bought K-based products due to the simple fact that I just needed my skin to be taken care of. Whereas J-based products, I want to buy them and I love to use them cos it's just too darn adorable and cute for words. Which in turn make you want to explore more Japanese-based products that you might not have seen. Yep, I blame K-wave for the decline of innovative Japanese beauty products T_T

Anyhoo, I got myself a Watsons-brand exclusive pore strips (from left to right):

Charcoal Nose Pore Strips x 1 box @ 10 strips

Hawaiian Volcanic Ash Nose Pore Strips x 1 box @ 10 strips

Along the way, my hair treatment product from Nuance Airy was starting to run out despite using it only once per week. So, it's time to look for sometime cute, new and fun to use. I couldn't find any Nuance Airy Conditioner previously, so I settled for another brand instead, which I believed has came up with a new scent for their latest hair conditioner.

Items include (from left to right):

Ma Cherie Moisture Treatment x 1 tube @ 180g

Kracie Ichikami Moisturizing Care Conditioner x 1 bottle @ 530g

Here's a look at the back of the hair treatment and hair conditioner (from left to right):

The reason why I decided to switch hair treatment and hair conditioner are partly because of the scent stated and the fact that it's Japanese LOL Japanese people have natural fair and healthy skin that is not "tainted" *ahem* by cosmetic surgery and their hair is just so beautifully healthy and glossy, whether they colored their hair or not :D

While on my way to the cashier, I spotted this "Gift with Purchase" item and took my time (a.ka. spent 10 minutes pondering whether I should or I shouldn't) on choosing which one suits my hair the most. Since they don't have one for flaky/dandruff scalp, I decided to get the one that promises "Straight & Silky Hair" as my hair tends to get tangled and frizzy at the back without me ever realizing anything is amiss :( Now you know why I have that bed-head without even trying hard at all ^^;

My "Gift with Purchase" comes with a hair dryer and the entire package costs only S$19.90. My mother has an old one, but I find that the heat it dispenses is way too hot and harsh for my hair. I once had the ends of my hair melted together due to the hair dryer being way too hot for comfort. Luckily, it was when my hair was still colored close to blonde many years ago. But I still remembered looking at the ends of my hair and wondering what the hell happened that could have caused my hair to melt together??

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: I believe there's another "Gift with Purchase" package that comes with a free bag or pouch. But I needed the hair dryer more than a bag or pouch. Not sure if these packages are still available, but you might want to head down to your nearest Watsons and check out the Dove Shampoo & Conditioner bundle.

I've been eyeing the L'Occitane membership card for close to 10 years already, but each time, I always forgot to go check out their products. Until I saw a Green Tea fragrance and thought 2 bottles (1 bottle for me and 1 for my mother) is enough purchased amount to get a membership. Only to forgot all about it again. I finally stepped foot inside WestGate L'Occitane last month as I needed a product that I can apply on my skin, under my makeup to prevent my face from looking like a sebum oil field midway through work. It's not just a waste to have to apply/touch up on make-up twice a day, it's going to end up with you spending money on make-up at least once to one-and-a-half month because your make-up runs out way too fast.

Unfortunately, L'Occitane has long stopped selling that Green Tea fragrance that I had been coveting for the past 10 years LOL Instead, I fell in love with their Verveine EDT after one sniff of it several months back. Yeah, it was a debate on whether I should or I shouldn't since I wasn't actively looking for a under make-up product previously. Anyway, this is what I got, just for the sake of getting a membership card from L'Occitane while using the $10 return voucher I previously got from their sampling activity. And along the way, I got myself a goodies-with-a-free-pouch as well for speding X amount. Woohoo~

Verveine Menthe EDT @ 100ml

Verveine EDT @ 100ml

I;m currently in the hand-cream craze since my hands are always peeling due to being too dry. The items I've gotten are (from left to right):

Lavender Hand Cream @ 75ml

Angelica Ultra Matte Fluid @ 50ml

Precious Night Cream @ 3ml (This one's a freebie)

Passionate Jasmine Hand Cream @ 30ml

I personally found the other Passionate Shea series a little funny-smelling, hence I decided to get the Passionate Jasmine instead.

The SA also gave me a L'Occitane calender as well, although I haven't opened it up yet ^^;

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: I think L'Occitane still have surplus sample stocks left over from their previous sampling activity, hence they are giving them away with any purchases. L'Occitane new ranges typically shows up around once a year, I guess. And unlike typical body/beauty products specialty stores, they don't have a full range when there's something new in stores. So, you don't really need to spend much on a regular basis from buying at L'Occitane.

Lion City Distributions has previously running a sampling giveaway. I was one of the lucky 350 to receive their Frezfruta Jam samples. Initial giveaway was only for 200 people, but they decided to increase the number to 350 and managed to squeeze myself in there LOL I kept getting passed over for Lion City's goodies all the time, almost to the point of giving up already and then, jam samples happened!!

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: This Frezfruta Jam sample is currently over. But still, do go over to Lion City Distributions Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/Lioncitydis and Like their page as a fan to be informed of upcoming and future sample giveaways :D

I was one of the lucky 50 Nuxe fans to receive a complimentary Nuxe Nirvanesque Gift set. And I now know why it's called the Nuxe Nirvanesque Gift set. There's a lot of Nuxe samples they are giving out this time round :D I so ❤ ❤ ❤ Nuxe products, currently using and trying out the previous Nuxe samples I've gotten. Yum~

A $10 Nuxe Discount Voucher. Honestly, Nuxe is really generous with their samples that I sometimes have to give their sampling activity a miss. They gave out so much that I can't finish them in time, I don't even need to buy them at all. I mostly buy their bath products at their physical outlets iinstead ^^;

Nuxe Rêve de Miel® Honey Care. To nourish and soothe dry & sensitive skin. I ended up having a spare for this, so I gave an extra set to my mother to try out :D

From left to right:

Face and Body Ultra-Rich Cleansing Gel @ 7ml

Ultra Comfortable Face Cream @ 2ml

Ultra Comfortable Face Cream @ 2ml

Ultra Comfortable Body Cream @ 7ml

Ultra Comfortable Foot Cream @ 4ml

Lierac samples. Coherence Day & Night and Premium Crème.

From left to right:

Lierac Coherence Day & Night @ 2ml

Premium Crème Day & Night Cream @ 2ml

From left to right:

Nuxe Nirvanesque Light 1st Wrinkles Smoothing Emulsion @ 15ml

Nuxe Nirvanesque 1st Wrinkles Smoothing Cream @ 15ml

Nuxe Nirvanesque Enrichie 1st Wrinkles Rich Smoothing Cream @ 15ml

Nuxe definitely loves to prevent wrinkles from appearing on their customers' faces, judging from the sheer amount of wrinkle-related products and samples offered LOL

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Nuxe Nirvanesque giveaway is currently over, but they are always and constantly hosting sampling activities and samples giveaway. So, head over to Nuxe Singapore Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/nuxe.sg and Like their page as a fan to be informed of upcoming and future sample giveaways :D

I finally received my Neutrogena sample, it's a little different from their previous sample that they were giving away though. I thought it would be the same time, but then, since I was able to redeem once again, I expected it to be something different than before. Here's the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Treatment Lotion Pre-Essence @ 15ml.

Phiten Singapore was previously giving away complimentary Phiten Goodie Bag on their Facebook page. And being a curious person, I decided to fill in my particulars and see what Phiten is about. If not, I somewhat feel intimidated to step into their physical outlet for a look-see, and besides, I somehow feel bad if I walked out of a small shop without buying a single item LOL Anyway, the goodies in my Phiten Goodie Bag are listed just below.

S$8 Phiten voucher, I'm somehow eyeing the ankle support thingy since I have really weak ankles. Specifically my right ankle. Without the ankle support, I'm practically close to limping around :(

Phiten Aqua Titan Tape x 6, used to relieve muscle pain by sticking on affected areas. Nope, there were no illustrations for ankles. I should probably try it on my right ankle and see if it works though :D

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Go over to Phiten Singapore Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phiten-Singapore/228028367208974, LIike their page to be a fan first. Next, look for the tab that says Fre Goodie Bag, fill in your details and you will get a email from Phiten. Bring a printout to the listed Phiten outlets to redeem your Phiten Goodie Bag.

Bifesta was hosting a sampling activity. All you need to do is answer a short survey, fill in your details and wait for the sample to arrive in your mailbox. I received my Bifesta Sebum Cleansing Lotion @ 11.8ml along with a Bifesta $5 voucher.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: Go over to Bifesta Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Bifesta.SG, Like their page to be a fan first. Next, look for the tab that says Redeem Your Sample(that one with a small photo of Anna Tsuchiya wiping makeup away from her face). Complete the survey, fill in your details. The sample will arrive in your mailbox :D

Initially, my ballot wasn't successful in nailing me a February 2014 Black Box. And I thought, so be it, I'll get lucky next time. Until I heard that there were Ziaja samples included and proceeded to pay the mandatory $6 handling fee so I could get my hands on it LOL Ziaja is practically the rage everywhere and it'll be a shame if I didn't try their samples first.

Darlie Expert Fresh Toothpaste @ 40g. God, I hate Darlie toothpastes. I used to have this fear that my skin will turn completely black after using Darlie toothpaste while my teeth will become utterly white, reference to that dude on the Darlie toothpaste commercials back in the early 1990s.

From left to right:

L'Oreal Elseve Extraordinary Oil @ 3.5ml

Nivea Body Lotion In-Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner @ 10ml

As soon as I saw this Nivea Body Lotion In-Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner sample, I immediately bought both versions at Watsons. The Normal Skin is for me, while the Dry Skin is for my mother :D

From left to right:

Ziaja Marine Spa Algae Deep Moisturizing Cream x 1 sample sachet

Ziaja Orange Butter Creamy Shower Soap x 1 sample sachet

From left to right:

Ziaja Goat's Milk Body Lotion x 1 sample sachet

Ziaja Natural Olive Body Butter x 1 sample sachet

Hee Eternity Hydro-Gel Mask @ 29g

Detailed description of the Hee Eternity Hydro-Gel Mask.

And there you have it, my February 2014 Black Box!!

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE:

Why not like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PuNiaosProductReviews to be informed of latest samples I found, which is duly updated? Also includes updates to health, beauty & lifestyle tips at least once a day. It will definitely save you the trouble of having to hunt them down :)

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About Riih

Hello. My name is Riih Rion Pu Niao and I am a female blogger. I blog mainly about my personal opinions on beauty products, links to get free samples (in Singapore), monthly beauty topic(s) and other goodies related to beauty topics on this blog. What started out as curiosity back in April 2007 soon turned into serious blogging-mania for me.

Note that all photos featured in this blog are concentrated on the products itself, and I personally do not believe in trying to wrestle attention away from the products by constantly squeezing my mugshot in it. Photos are mostly and currently taken with a Canon Ixus 170 & Samsung Galaxy S7 and edited with Paint.Net & Giphy.

You can read more about me and this blog by exploring the links above.

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Product Score

Note that I judge products based on my own personal opinion, and each person is different from the next. What works for me may or may not work for you. When in doubt, always try to ask for a sample from the respective retail outlet before committing to a product full-time.

✓: Wasn't that I expect, should have save my money.

✓✓: It does have a good after-effect from using it, but it takes time and long term usage.